


Necessary

by Cowboy



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Pre-Series, Serious Injuries, Violence, non-cannon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 14:17:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6054682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cowboy/pseuds/Cowboy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During a scouting expedition gone wrong, Erwin Smith's new 'project' - Levi - is trapped out on the plains. Will the commander add Humanity's Strongest-in-training to the next casualty report, or does he have something else in mind?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Necessary

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first AoT fanfiction, and it took some serious prodding by [Ardent](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardent/profile) before I finally finished it. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing! 
> 
> Thank you, [Ardent](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardent/profile), you are the BEST beta ever. Without your encouragement I never would have finished or posted this. You ROCK.

“I’ll kill you if you run.”

Levi snorted at the nearly casual threat.

“If I ran out there, you would be the least of my worries, Erwin.”

The corner of the commander’s mouth twitched upwards for a second, but was replaced by a thin frown.

“Levi, keep your squad away from the plains - without trees or buildings, your 3DMG gear is useless. No unnecessary deaths.”

Dark eyes glinted as the thin frame bent to lean against the mahogany desk.

“Who decides the necessity of death?”

The chair creaked softly as the tall man rose, his shadow engulfing the other soldier.

“I do.”

Swinging a beaten leather jacket over his shoulder, Erwin nodded towards the door. Like a half tamed cat, his companion followed his exit at a distance.

The commander paused, fingers hovering over the handle.

“You may be my best soldier, Levi, but do not forget what you are - my project. If you fail me, you bear the full penalty of your crimes against the state. Do you understand?”

The other man stiffened slightly, a look of surprise passing across his face like a cloud.

“Have I failed you before?”

There was no reply but the whine of the door-hinges.

 

 

 

He had been unable to forget the conversation - even when the first titans appeared over the crest before them. Hours later, when the expedition had lost all hope of success, Levi contemplated the threats from his commander.

            “Fall back! Retreat to the gate!”

            With a jerk of the reins, he pivoted his mount towards the looming - yet distant - Wall Maria.

Project.

He’d been called all sorts of names - sewer-rat, scum, freak (those were some of the _nicer_ ones) - but _project_ …?

“Fall back!”

            Levi could see Erwin ahead, halfway between the last trees of the forest and the safety of the gate. He repeated the command once more, then turned his mare.

            _Bastard._

Levi had wanted to kill at least one more titan before retreating behind the walls. He told himself it was because he wanted the practice, but he knew differently.

The ground rattled with the footsteps of giants and Levi delivered a few swift kicks to the ribs of his mount. As though the horse needed further motivation to run for its life.

He was no _failed_ project.

Levi banished the thought with a grimace of disdain.

_Screw Erwin. Using people like tools - discarding them like trash…_

Levi glanced back over his billowing cloak at the remaining scouts thundering behind him. They’d nearly cleared the forest - a short but perilous dash across the plain was all that stood between them and safety.

Of course, the Titans were close behind.

A shrill scream ripped through the air, and Levi again twisted in his saddle.

Gretchen, one of the newer recruits, was dangling from the flopping body of her mount, held high by a monstrous hand. Wet strings of saliva and blood strung from the giant mouth; even now, the titan’s glistening eyes lit on the struggling soldier.

Levi hauled on the reins with his left hand and drew his sword with the other.

“Gretchen!”

The anchor of his 3DMG thudded into the last oak between the treeline and the gate. With the speed of a striking cobra, Levi was airborne and slicing flesh.

Gigantic fingers dropped.

An arm.

He caught Gretchen by the wrist as the titan dropped to its knees with an enraged howl.

“Fall back!” How he heard Erwin’s voice over the thrum of adrenaline in his own ears was a mystery.

Avoiding the swipe of the remaining arm, Levi swung low and dropped Gretchen lightly into the grass.   

“Run.”

“Fall back! NOW!”

The commander sounded enraged.

Levi lighted beside the shaken soldier and sheathed his sword.

“Let’s move!”

But they didn’t.

There was a loud cracking sound, followed by a rush of wind and a shadow. And then the earth shook as branches collided with the turf, causing clouds of dust and leaves to explode all around.

The trunk hit the ground a half-second later; the impact sent Levi into the dirt.

Then pain.

He gagged as the pressure pinned his leg to the earth - no, _into_ the earth. He could hear the crunch of bone as the branch settled beneath its own weight.

His vision blurred. Black and white speckles danced across the now leafy horizon and he could barely make out the last of the scouting legion entering the gate, their cloaks flapping like a farewell salute.

_Fuck my life._

_Humanity’s Strongest - killed by a falling tree_...

 

 

 

He didn’t lose consciousness, although at times he wished he had because of the pain. The first thing he tried was to dig out from beneath the branch. It didn’t work. Mere movement resulted in waves of nausea, and his strength was draining rapidly. With some measure of annoyance he realized that his leg was probably bleeding badly, but that there was nothing he could do about it.

A quick slice above the kneecap seemed the best option at this point. Levi entertained the thought long enough to imagine his life as an invalid. How _useless_ he’d be.

A useless tool.

He’d rather die.

_Damn you, Erwin._

Safe within the confines of the wall, the commander was probably searching the ranks of his bedraggled soldiers.

_“Where’s Levi? Has anyone seen my favorite new plaything? If he’s still alive, we should mount a rescue mission! Humanity’s Strongest is worth a few soldiers. Ah, he’s injured? Well, nevermind then.”_

Some part of his fevered mind told him he was being unfair, but the other part screamed: “ _I’m dying - what part of_ that _is fair?!”_

His head felt heavy; his tongue was numb.

_Maybe I’ll sleep - I’ll dig myself out once I’ve rested._

Even as his mind descended into haze, he smirked.

_Ha. That’s a shit-plan if I’ve ever heard one._

 

 

 

The scream woke him.

It was more like a gurgled howl, and it was followed by a loud ‘thud’ that sent shudders through the moonlit ground.

He could see nothing.

Weakly, he tried to pull himself forward, but his trapped leg stopped him. He gritted his teeth, but not fast enough to stop the low moan.

And then a voice.

“Levi?”

His dry throat contracted and he gaped.

_Erwin?!_

He tried to say it aloud, but all he could manage was a cracked whisper.

“Levi,” the voice hissed again, this time from further away.

Panic overtook him like a tide and he screamed - voiceless, _useless._

Suddenly he was angry.

_Fuck this!_

He drew his last blade with his remaining strength, swinging it in a wide arc. The metallic ring had never sounded so loud.

His efforts were rewarded by the crunch of footfalls.

“Levi!

Branches snapped and broke above him and the swath of moonlight grew, then was blocked by a dark shape. It loomed, then crouched beside him, cloak resting around them both like the wings of some giant bird.

“You never listen to me.” Erwin’s voice, above him, was low and seemed to rumble from deep in his chest.

    Levi attempted a venomous response, but the only result was a pathetic croak. His vision was still blurry - it was the sound and the touch of cold metal to his lips that alerted him to the presence of water.

Erwin pulled the flask away before he’d had nearly enough.

The commander’s voice was a whisper.

“There are three more of them; the foliage hides us for now, but noise will draw them.”

“You’re the one who was _shrieking_ seconds ago-”

“ _Quiet!_ ”

Levi blinked, but the fog clouding his vision only thickened.

“...Erwin?”

“It’s me.”

He was vaguely aware of the pressure of hands moving up and down his body. They paused at his left thigh, and Levi thought he heard a soft gasp.

“I could have told you there was a tree on my leg _before_ you molested me.”

Erwin snorted.

A sharp jab of pain raced up his leg as he felt movement beneath his calf.

“What the hell, Erwin!”

“I’m digging you out. Here, bite this.”

He wasn’t given much of an option as a bit of cloth - probably some filthy scrap of cloak - was shoved into his mouth.

The pain was...most unfortunate.

“Almost done - stay conscious.”

It didn’t take that long; but to Levi it felt like hours. His entire body shook each time the dirt shifted beneath his leg, and each time he wanted to scream. But his pride and the rag clenched between his teeth kept him silent.

“There,” Erwin’s breath was fast from exertion, “It’s finished. Ready?”

His pain-blanked mind had no witty reply; he grunted his acquiescence.

An arm beneath his shoulders pulled him against the commander’s chest; a second gently slid beneath his knees. Sliding from beneath from beneath the trunk was agonizing - it felt like his leg was still held fast and Erwin was pulling him with all his might.

“Levi?”

Even a grunt was too much effort this time. Finally, blackness washed over him like a wave and everything vanished.

 

 

 

Haze.

Everything - every sense - seemed muffled. He felt warm, but couldn’t pinpoint the source of the heat - he sensed blue above him, but couldn’t quite make out the sky.

Regaining consciousness was like swimming towards the surface in a murky pond. He broke the bonds of sleep gradually.

The first things he saw were branches. Then sky. Then fields far below.

His stomach felt light.

He was at least sixty feet up, perched atop a wide branch, his back against the trunk of a giant oak.

The pain in his leg was dull - he had no doubt movement would change that instantly.

“Erwin?”

He noticed the heavy green cloak wrapped around himself and tried to pull it off.

_Damn Erwin._

“You’re awake. How do you feel?”

The voice came from above and to his right.

“Like shit,” Levi replied, glancing up at the commander sitting on a branch at his eye-level. Erwin looked worn - dark circles ringed his eyes and his clothes were filthy.

_He probably didn’t even rest before looking for…_

He yanked the cloak savagely, but in his weakened condition, it merely slipped from one shoulder.

Erwin dropped from his branch and knelt beside him.

“What do you have against my cloak…?” The commander asked snidely as he pulled the green cloth back over his subordinate’s broken body.

Levi scowled.

“It’s _disgusting_.”

“I’m offended.” Sarcasm.

“What are you doing here?” He’d meant to sound annoyed when he said it, but the words left his mouth like a weary sigh.

_Disgusting._

One of Erwin’s famous eyebrows rose as though to scoff at the stupidity of the question.

He didn’t answer. “They’ll realize I’ve gone soon - I left a message with instructions for the legion. An expedition will bring us horses before dark.”

“Didn’t you ride here?”

Erwin surveyed the horizon.

“No.”

“What?”

“The noise would have drawn the titans.”

Levi clenched his teeth to keep his jaw from dropping, and he masked his surprise with boredom.

“Huh.”

“Gretchen told me where to find you.”

“I didn’t ask.”

Erwin lifted the corner of his cloak, exposing Levi’s injured leg. The short soldier winced and scowled at his rescuer.

“The council would have never approved this stupid, suicide mission …” he gritted.

Erwin gently pulled on the corner of a bloodied bandage. Levi tensed in anticipation.

The commander _slowly_ peeled the cloth away, expressionless throughout.

Levi’s vision began to swim again and his mouth opened voluntarily, as though talking would distract him from the pain.

“Do you know what you’re doing? You’re a city boy, after all…”

Erwin looked amused.

“I’ve had my share of injuries…”

“Uh-uh…”

A shudder ran through him and he felt the blood fade from his face. Erwin paused.

“I need you to stay conscious, Levi.”

_You_ needed _me to stay in fighting condition, too…_

Erwin produced two straight branches from somewhere - they looked like they’d been whittled smooth.

“A splint,” the tall man informed him as he placed the wood beside Levi’s battered leg.

A cracking noise to the left sent them both to high alert.

Only the depths of the forest were visible, but the sounds continued. And they were growing louder.

Erwin turned back to his task - his hands moved a little faster.

Levi craned his neck, peering into the dim treeline.

“Titans.”

Erwin nodded and laced a piece of cloth around the first splint.

“They smell the blood.”

Levi’s gaze snapped back to the kneeling man.

“What the hell, Erwin?! I thought you were all about ‘saving humanity’?! Why the fuck are you risking your life?! Humanity needs you.”

Erwin tied off the first splint then moved to the second, glancing briefly into the woods as he did so.

“It’s necessary.”

“Oh, right; because you decide _necessity_.”

Erwin looked confused for a moment - he seemed to have forgotten the conversation from the day before. Then he nodded.

Another sharp crack.

Levi thought he saw pale flesh.

“They’re getting closer.”

“I know.”

“Fuck this, Erwin!” Levi hissed, leaning forward, “Leave me here! I’m worthless now - those titans will kill us both if you stay.”

“Don’t be altruistic, Levi, it doesn’t suit you.” He even said it with a slight grin.

Another branch broke, and Levi heard the loud gurgle of an indrawn breath.

The short soldier slapped Erwin’s hands away from the bandages with a burst of rage.

“I know you. People are just tools to you. And I’m a pretty fucking useless _tool_ now,” he gestured to his legs, “So your little _project failed_ , Erwin. You did your best - you tried - so you can go back and find some other little shit to experiment on. Go. _Just leave_!”

Erwin visibly recoiled, his usual cool facade broken by the heat of the verbal assault.

Levi’s breath huffed loud in the ensuing silence.

And then the titan attacked.

 

 

 

It couldn’t reach them - yet.

But it hammered the tree with its body, the force quaking the oak from the roots; hungry wails filled the forest as though broadcasting the meal to be had.

Erwin drew his sword, 3DMG cables already snaking out to embed in nearby branches.

“Hold on.”

And he was gone.

Levi twisted, struggling to draw his own weapon. Not that it would do any good.

The sickening weight in his stomach felt uncomfortably like guilt; he ignored it.

Leaning over the branch, he saw Erwin slice a deep gash in the titan’s fleshy abdomen.

“Go for the neck.” _Unnecessary advice._

“I know.”

Erwin wasn’t fast; Levi observed this with anxiety and bit his lip.

The commander circled the beast once more, then delivered the killing blow. It shrieked, falling forward and colliding with the trunk before sliding to the forest floor.

Levi’s fingers clawed the bark as the oak shook.

“Erwin! Two more!”

Well, there were actually three - the other one was focused on him; Erwin didn’t need to worry about that - the tree could withstand a few more hits.

Levi temporarily lost track of his commander as the branch beneath him trembled; he dug his sword into its bark as an anchor. The titan below him opened its cavernous mouth, saliva dripping from enormous lips.

Levi turned his attention back to Erwin.

“Don’t waste gas.”

Erwin narrowly avoided a swinging arm, inflicting a wide slice as it passed.

“I know!”

“And don’t stay in one place so long.”

“I know! Levi, I’m not some raw recruit!”

“You might as well be - you spend most of your time behind a fucking desk.”

Erwin slipped between two stout legs, hacking through the tendon. The titan shrieked and stumbled.

“-Doing paperwork for politicians who _fund the legion_!”

“Carry your swing through - you’re not using all your momentum.”

“You think I prefer the desk? That I like tallying the casualty lists?”

“Watch your left.”

An enormous hand went crashing to the forest floor.

“I would much prefer to be out here - doing _this_.”

“Well, you’re not very good at ... _this_ …”

It was a lie - Erwin wasn’t fast, but he was _powerful_. Every stroke of his sword bit deep, cleaving through bone like it was water.

“Do you think I like-” Erwin punctuated with a vicious stab “-sending soldiers to their deaths?”

“Watch behind you.”

“-You think that doesn’t affect me?”

Levi sensed the change in Erwin’s tone.

“Stay focused.”

“How would you like to go to sleep every night knowing-” He grunted with exertion as he buried his blade deep in the titan’s neck “-that you are solely responsible for the deaths of your comrades?”

“Stay focu-” The branch shook violently, and Levi nearly lost his hold on the sword hilt. Below him, the third titan staggered a few steps backward, then charged the trunk once more.

There was a sickening crack that resounded throughout the fiber of the tree.

The titan pulled back, its glassy eyes staring up at the injured soldier.

_Shit._

It launched its massive body forward, tongue lolling in anticipation.

Erwin met the titan mid-air, his attack slowing, but not stopping its momentum.

It rammed the tree.

Levi’s body jostled like a rag doll, pain screaming through his leg. The branch began to lean; no - it was the entire tree.

_Shit shit shit…_

Suddenly Erwin was beside him on the branch as gravity disappeared. Levi wanted to punch the commander in his heroic face, but some rational part of him decided that this was _not_ the best time…

Wind rushed past.

Erwin scooped the broken soldier into his arms as though he were weightless, and suddenly they were both airborne.

_Pathetic._

_Disgusting._

He had never felt so useless.

They landed a few trees away, on a wide branch out of view of the titan. It was snuffling the fallen log, hunting for its elusive snack.

The sudden halt in motion made Levi’s head spin. He felt queasy.

“You can put me down now.”

Erwin knelt. Despite how gently he lowered his subordinate - and he was _infuriatingly_ gentle - the movement was agonizing. Levi did his best to stifle the yelp that threatened to tear from his throat as his leg touched the bark.

Erwin frowned, his eyebrows lowering in concern.

“You’re bleeding again.”

“You think?!”

Erwin’s gaze moved to the horizon and the distant Wall Maria. Levi snorted.

“They won’t get here in time.”

“Yes, they will.”

“That noise will have drawn more titans.”

The reply was lost to a sudden ringing in his ears. His eyes blurred.

Erwin’s hands were instantly on his shoulders and the commander’s voice sounded like it was coming from inside a tin.

“Stay conscious, Levi, do you hear me?”

His head felt light - his tongue was numb.

“M’sorry,” he slurred.

Erwin said something about orders and heroism and ‘damn Gretchen’, but it was all a hazy jumble of words. It was making less sense by the minute.

_I wish that damn tree had just killed me…_

Erwin’s face - _shit._ Did he say that out loud?

Yep.

Oops.

More jumbled words - strength, courage, humanity's last hope, blah blah blah…

Damn, his leg hurt.

Something shifted beneath him.

Ah...more titans.

Through bleary eyes, Levi saw Erwin draw his sword and assume a fighting stance in front of him.

Levi squinted up at the commander flickering in and out of his vision.

“You’re out of gas, aren’t you.”

“There’s enough to get us down and onto the horses.”

“There are no horses, Erwin.”

Everything shook.

A shining arc - Erwin’s sword - and a splash of red. A titan howled.

This one was taller than the last ones; it could reach higher.

A giant finger severed. Blood spattered.

With shaking hands, Levi drew his dagger. Muscles screaming in protest, he grabbed the bark of the tree and began to inch upward until he stood, propped against the trunk, tiny weapon brandished.

Erwin almost collided with him when a giant hand slapped the commander backward.

Now their backs were against the tree.

The taller man winced and glanced down at his comrade.

“Levi, I’m sorry-”

“Shut up, Erwin.”

“I want you to know-”

“Oh for fuck’s sake…”

“-why I came back for you-”

The tree rattled.

A gargantuan hand loomed into view, its boney fingers stretching greedily.

And then he saw it. Somehow through the feverish delirium creeping over his senses, he saw the line of black specks moving across the plain.

“Erwin! The horses!”

 

 

 

It was Hanji who distracted the titan - Levi thought he saw flares or something, but it all began to fade rapidly once Erwin had lifted him and they’d swung down onto the backs of the waiting mounts.

The ride was a blur.

Somehow he stayed on; at times he thought he felt a hand behind him, holding him upright.

There must have been some fighting, but to Levi the escape was merely blurry images and painful jostling as his broken leg slapped against the side of his horse.

The gate was the last thing he saw.

 

 

“How do you feel?”

“Like shit.”

White sunlight filtering through the partially open window made a checkered pattern across the wooden floor. The scents were clean, albeit trace amounts of medicine and sterilizing agents lingered in the air. Outside, he could hear the distant sounds of training soldiers.

It was so tranquil Levi could almost forgive the faded stains on the rippling curtains.

Erwin folded his hands and leaned forward on his elbows, blue eyes bright. He had a gash on his forehead and purpling bruises on one side of his face.

“They say you’ll walk.”

“So _Project Levi_ is still a go…”

Erwin sighed; he seemed to sag in the chair and he looked down at the floor.

Levi straightened a wrinkle in the white bedsheet.

“I know why you did it.”

The commander looked up, eyes hopeful. Levi nodded.

“You think I’m humanity’s best chance. You’d die for that.”

Erwin’s brows lowered.

_No?_

“That’s a good excuse. It’s true, anyway,” the commander said; the way he finished the sentence left more to be said.

Levi prodded.

“And…?”

“-And you’re my friend.”

The effort with which he said it spoke of years of self-enforced silence - years of stony facades and arm’s length relationships.

_Friend?_

Levi peered at the commander, the man responsible for ordering the deaths of hundreds of young soldiers, and suddenly wondered if perhaps it was Erwin who was the tool; the emotionless, hard-hearted tool forced to issue the orders no-one else could bear to be responsible for.

Levi kept his expression cool - distant.

“Then why did you call me a project?”

A humorless smile passed over Erwin’s face.

“Who’s easier to send to his death - a project or a friend?”

_Damn Erwin._

“Hmm.”

They sat in silence for a while. The commander looked miserable.

Finally, Levi broke the stillness with a huff.

“Erwin, bring me your cloak.”

“My cloak…?”

“Somebody has to wash that disgusting thing.”

Erwin raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t think that’s necessary-”

Levi scowled.

“I’ll decide what’s necessary; and anyway,” his tone fell to a mutter and he rolled over to face the wall, “...what are friends for…”

 


End file.
